2. 1 Peter 2: It’s Not Fair

3. (1-8) Where is the fairness for a God who sets aside His glory, takes on humanity, and crosses the gap created by His people in order to build the bridge back to Him, only for His people then to refuse His aid and have Him killed? The suffering of Christ is unfair, and yet we are thankful for it!

4. (9-11) The opportunity of the believer rests on the unfair nature of grace and mercy. We receive what we do not deserve and we do not receive that which we do. All the while the calling for the believer of AD 2017 is not unlike 2000 BC- “show others the goodness of God. “ That was one of the purposes of the Temple.

5. (11-12) The new identity of the Church is bestowed at the cost of the death of its former self. The resurrection life of Christ does not share rule in us, much of the apostolic writings in the New Testament are devoted to explaining the difference between the old value system and Jesus’s priorities! We have to learn the new way of life (we call that process discipleship), and if we think Jesus agrees with something we valued before we put Him first- all the more reason to be suspicious of it!

6. (13-25) We no longer find the meaning of life in earth rooted ambition or values. Its honor system, its economic system, its justice system are all far below the treasure that is knowing and being known by a loving Heavenly Father!