I Peter 2:7  Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10  Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
11  Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
12  Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

True born again Christians recognize that Jesus Christ is precious. That is another motivation that helps true Christians to actively work to be free from sin. We have already noted that true saints cannot commit habitual sin. Christians will sin. However, Christians cannot be habitual sinners. There is no such a thing as “social drinking”. True Christians understand that alcohol in any form is poison and not to be consumed. They do not make it and they do not consume it or offer it to others. Cursing and swearing cannot be the nature of a true child of God.
John was directed to put it this way:

I John 3:4  Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

The true child of God does not want to make a mockery of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter contrasted that fact with the fact that the disobedient look at Jesus as the stone that the builders disallowed. The disobedient reject the holiness of God. They reject the precious gift that Jesus Christ is. They love their sin. They make excuses for sin, rather than acknowledging sin and confessing and forsaking it.
Peter reminded the saints that someone’s rejection of the precious nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, does not diminish Who He is. He is made the head of the corner. He is the Head of the true local church. He is to be the head of every man. He is the Lord of every true born again Christian.
In verse 8 we see that the disobedient find the Lord Jesus Christ as a stone of stumbling. They do not like to be reminded of His holiness. They do not want to be holy. They want to fit in with the world to a certain degree. Thus the Lord Jesus Christ is a rock of offence to them. That is why the New Evangelical churches are so popular. The disobedient love to be told that they can indulge in their sin and it will all be good. God understands, so they are told. They love to hear that, because they can keep their sin and still assume they will be in heaven one day. Sadly, they will discover too late that this is not the case.
Lost people stumble at the Word. That is why the perversions have some popularity. That is why people attack the true Word of God and dismiss it as an illegitimate text. Peter warned that the disobedient are appointed to judgment. A person may be disobedient now and think they are getting away with it. God’s Word is sure. Examine what you believe in the Light of the truth. Read God’s Word in Its context and find a good church that honours His Word. Listen to what the preacher has to say and examine what He has to say by the Word of God.
Every person will meet the Lord one day. Only those who are truly born again will meet Him in heaven.
In verse 9 we see that small word “But”. That is used to contrast the obedient from the disobedient. The obedient are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people. There we are reminded again of the importance of holiness. Yes, true saints will stand out from the rest. They will be persecuted and they will be mocked.

II Timothy 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

This is a fact of life. God is not trying to trick anyone. He tells us plainly that there is a cost to knowing Him. Jesus Christ was hated by His own people. He faced their accusations for 3 1/2 years. Then they cried out: “crucify Him, crucify Him.” They wanted a known criminal released, and they wanted Jesus Christ to be nailed to a cross and killed there.
Those who are saved are not greater than the Saviour. We must understand that if the world hated Jesus, they will hate His followers. The apostles learned this lesson. Many others have learned this as well. The New Evangelical philosophy has lied to its followers. They claim that you can be a real Christian and be loved by the world. That is a lie but many choose to believe it.
We are different so that we should shew forth the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. You cannot show forth the praises of God if you want to indulge in sin. If you need that cigarette or that booze or that other drug, etc. just to get by for the next few minutes, you do not show forth the praise of God.
Jesus cast the devils out of the possessed man, and the result was that he was able to sit calmly and he was also fully dressed. Prior to his salvation, that man could not sit still. He was naked and he was a wild man. God’s gift of salvation changed him. He never went back to that old way again. He was gloriously changed by the Lord Jesus Christ. He is one of hundreds of examples that God gives us in His Word.
In verse 10 we are reminded that prior to salvation we were not a people. We were just one of the crowd. Some may have been louder than others, but we were nothing as far as God was concerned. His salvation makes all the difference. After salvation, we are the people of God. We did not obtain God’s mercy prior to salvation. We did not want it then, but now we have obtained mercy. Now we understand we do not deserve any good thing and yet God graciously supplied the mercy and grace needed to bring us to repentance and true salvation.
In verse 11 Peter was directed to encourage the saints with God’s view of them. They are dearly beloved because they are saved. God loves all people. He provided a Saviour for mankind. Most people reject this testimony of the love of God. Those who are saved come into a special relationship with God the Father and with the Lord Jesus Christ. They are adopted into the family of God. The words and the actions of God toward those who are saved are a testimony to His love for His own. He wants His children to live in the light of the special gift He has given them.
We read here that these “strangers” need to abstain from fleshly lusts. Every saved person still needs to deal with the flesh. The flesh operates on lusts. It is not good. It is a distorted view of things. It is a view and a motivation that is distorted due to the sin nature that man is born with. The lusts of the flesh war against the soul. The soul has the knowledge of God implanted within it. Not every soul is saved. However, every soul knows the basic facts of God. The lost work hard to avoid the truth because it speaks to their soul. It reminds them that they are out of touch with the God Who created them and Who provides salvation for man and Who is also the judge before whom all people will stand.
The saved person’s soul has been made alive. There is a war going on between the soul of the saved person and the flesh of the saved person. It is a war that has been won in salvation and the saved person can be victorious when he walks in the spirit.
The saved person needs to have an honest conversation among Gentiles. The lost will always twist the truth. That is quite obvious. The lost are always looking for what they think is a hole in the belief of the Godly person. No saved person is going to have a perfect understanding of God’s Word. However, God’s Word is truth and it is important for the saved person be spending quality time in God’s Word to be able to become more proficient in God’s Word.
The ungodly love to lie. They love to speak evil of those who love the Lord. The saved person should not be intimidated by the false accusers. It is important that we can show that they are false accusers. The saints need to produce good works. We have spoken of this often. No one can do good works unless they are saved. The saved person is created in Christ Jesus to produce good works. The saved do not try to hide their good works. The lost will see the good works being done. The lost will end up glorifying God in the day of visitation.
The day of visitation is when the Lord returns. The saints will appear at the judgment seat of Christ. There it will be announced what the rewards or lack of rewards they will receive. No lost person will appear at this judgment. The lost will appear at the great white throne judgment. There the books will be opened and their works will condemn them. They will give glory to God at that time, but it will be too late for them. They will all be cast into the lake of fire. No saved person will be at that judgment. All who stand there will be lost. They will have defied the truth and thus will not enter into the “rest” that God has in store for the righteous.
Peter was directed by God to remind the saints of what they have received in salvation and of how important it is to live within the bounds of that salvation. Saved people have been bought with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Personal feelings cannot supersede the will of God. Personal feelings need to be adjusted and corrected to align with the new nature that God provides for His child at salvation.
Pastor Bartel