13/11/17 CORNERSTONE VISION SERIES WEEK 5 – IN (PART 1)

COMMUNITY GROUP/FAMILY AND DAILY STUDIES BASED UPON OUR VISION SERIES AT COMMUNITY CHURCH PUTNEY

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GROUP STUDY 5 – IN (PART 1)

THOSE BUILT ON CHRIST LOVE GOD’S FAMILY

We’ve seen that a person or community that is built on Jesus as cornerstone will take on the design based on this foundation.

JESUS LOVES HIS BRIDE

In Ephesians 5:25-33 we see that Jesus love for His church is the model for how a husband is to love his wife. So we, if built on Christ, will love His church that He died to redeem,

Peter 1:18-19 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ…

Let’s allow Peter to shape our attitude toward the church:

• ‘Living stones’ built into a ‘spiritual’ house’ speaks of joining together. Can you imagine what would happen if bricks refused to stay joined together! Is devotion to the church family God’s will? (2:5)
• Do the terms ‘people…priesthood…nation’ speak of individualism or community? (2:9)
• What are ‘believers’ termed and what is our attitude to be? (2:17)
• Do you treat your church like a family and what might stop one from doing so?

This letter was written to be passed around and read by the churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. God loved them, Peter loved them and, inspired by the Spirit, wrote to strengthen them in their suffering. Just imagine if, rather than meet with the church, they decided to prioritise other things. They would never have heard this letter and would miss God’s encouragement. They may fall away under the pressure of trials.  Likewise, we need the local church if you are going to stand and flourish.

APPLICATION – LET’S LOVE JESUS’ FAMILY

Read each of the following examples from Acts 2:42-47 and discuss/think of how you could ‘go up’ in loving God’s family.

• Devotion – to learning, worship and prayer together (2:42)
• Generosity – in meeting one another’s needs (2:45)
• Consistency – Regular time together (2:46)
• Hospitality – Open home/hospitality (2:46)

PERSONAL BIBLE STUDIES WEEK 5 – 1 PETER 2:16–2:24

MONDAY: LIVE IN FREEDOM

1 Peter 2:16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 

1.    GC – Christians are free from condemnation, fear of condemnation, the need to perform in order to be saved. However such freedom must not be seen as permission to sin. We have been redeemed, we are now ‘God’s slaves’!

2.    UP – Worship, as John Piper said, ‘is all about reflecting the worth or value of God’. This is done, in part, by our willingness to please and obey Him. Those who live un-desirous to please God communicate that He is unworthy!

3.    IN – Let’s enjoy the freedom we have. Let’s build community that speaks of grace.

4.    OUT – Peer pressure can cause all of us to compromise to greater or lesser extent. We grow in freedom from such pressure as we live with an awareness of our freedom – our unconditional acceptance by God and our identity as purchased to serve Him.

TUESDAY: GOD LOVES HIS FAMILY, LET’S LOVE THE FAMILY

1 Peter 2:17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honour the emperor.

1.    GC – Jesus adopts us into His ‘family’. God is now our Father, the church are our brothers and sisters. Jesus loves His family, He loves you.

2. UP – We are to ‘fear God’. We could translate this as ‘Awe and Respect’, which is less open to misunderstanding. Joyfully obeying God in awe and respect is worship.

3. IN – Jesus loves His family, He loves you; will we love the family also?

4. OUT – The position of the church in society is influenced by how we treat authorities. In this first-century setting, the ‘emperor’ could have Christians persecuted or killed (as Nero would just a few years after the writing of this letter). Let’s be praying for and wise in the way we interact with authorities.

WEDNESDAY: THE GOSPEL LEADS TO SERVANTHOOD

1 Peter 2:18-21 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.  For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.  But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.  To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

1.    GC – Christ ‘suffered for you’. Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus was our suffering servant in order to save us. Now we are to let His example overflow into the way that we live our lives, even suffering for the undeserving.

2.    UP – Slaves in this first century setting must not be understood in the same light as those of 19^th Century America for example. And although we are not slaves in a literal sense, we are still to live, as slaves, in ‘reverent fear of God…our master’.

3.    IN – Suffering for doing good is ‘commendable’. How good are we at commending or praising people who serve God in the midst of difficult circumstances?  

4.    OUT – Our serving attitude to authorities at work and in society, especially to those who are unworthy, is a demonstration of the gospel.

THURSDAY: JESUS WAS JUDGED FOR US

1 Peter 2:22-23 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”  When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 

1.    GC – Jesus was without sin but was treated as a sinner and died in accord with, and trusting in, the will of God; Jesus was judged ‘justly’. It would not have been just for God to judge Christ unless He had taken our sin upon Himself. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

2.    UP – We are all wronged at times. In some cases, of course, we must bring rebuke and correction. But, most of us respond, angrily, too much of the time. Let’s, like Jesus, ‘entrust’ ourselves and our reputations etc. knowing that He is a perfect judge and will deal rightly with all who wrong us; only respond to wicked or silly people from a place of worship and for God’s glory.

3.    IN – Peter reminded these suffering churches of Jesus. He helps to lift their eyes to Him. Do we seek to bring a fresh vision of Jesus to our brothers and sisters?

4.    OUT – People notice when, unlike most, we forgive and hold our tongue/post, using it in wisdom. (Proverbs 25:15). We can have a healthy relationship with this dark work as we entrust judgement to God.

FRIDAY: THE GOSPEL: HE BORE THE LOAD OF OUR SIN

1 Peter 2:24a “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, 

1.    GC – There are two choices: firstly, without Christ and “we, ourselves, bear our sins, and went to death”, alternately, the gospel offers us, “He himself bore our sins” in His body on the cross”. Which one are you?

2.    UP – Take time to thank Him who ‘bore’ (‘carried up’) our sins; you don’t have to carry the load! (Isaiah 53:6)

3.    IN – How often do you take Communion with your Community Group, family, friends? Don’t so mystify or reverence this gift of remembrance that we stop doing it regularly.  

4.    OUT – let’s pray and be ready to share this gospel: incarnation: ‘He Himself’ the sinless Son of God, Substitution: bore our sin on the cross, Restoration: so we can know God.

SATURDAY: HEALED IN CHRIST

1 Peter 2:24b...so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

1.    GC – The gospel is more than forgiveness. It is a death, in Christ, to our past life. It is new life by the Spirit, expressed in righteous living. We have been ‘healed’ – our disobedient hearts have been made obedient.

2.    UP – ‘living for righteousness’. God is pleased with a life of godliness. He loves to see His image being restored in us.

3.    IN – How might you encourage a brother and sister to stop sinning? The bible often gives us a vision of our death and resurrection in Christ as the motive. (Romans 6:1-2)

4. OUT – Before Christ we are ‘alive to sin’ and ‘dead to righteousness’. No matter now nice people seem, all need the supernatural transformation that the gospel can bring.