Our Relation with Christ our Rock (1Peter 2)

“Coming to Him as to a living stone” (1Pet 2: 3).

The Story Behind the Painting of the Last Supper

Our Relation with Christ our Rock

• Read: 1Peter 2: 1-10

Abandoning the Negatives• “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all

deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking” (v 1)

– �َو ُك�َّل َو اْل%َح َس َد َو اْلِّر+َي اَء َم ْك%ِّر- �َو ُك�َّل %ٍث- ُخ�ْب �ُك�َّل َف اْط%ِّر ُح�وا َم َذ َم�ٍة-

Abandoning the Negatives• Malice - -ٍث% ِّ ُخ�ْب

– Desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another, either because of a hostile impulse or out of deep-seated meanness

– “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1Cor 5:8)

Abandoning the Negatives• Deceit (guile) – - َم ْك%ِّر

– The act or practice of deceiving; concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading; duplicity; fraud; cheating

– “Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” (Ps 32:2)

Abandoning the Negatives• Hypocrisy - اْلِّر+َي اَء

– A pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, that one does not really possess.

– “In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all,‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.’” (Lk 12:1)

Abandoning the Negatives• Envy - اْل%َح َس َد

– A feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages, success, possessions, etc.

– “…and death, which entered into the world through the envy of the devil, You have destroyed” (Prayer of Reconciliation)

Abandoning the Negatives• Evil speaking (slander) - -ٍة�َم َذ َم

– One insults his brother publicly and demeans him.

– “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure.” (Ps 101:5)

Abandoning the Negatives• “Cleanse us from all blemish, all guile, all

hypocrisy, all craftiness, and the remembrance of evil bearing death.” (Prayer of Reconciliation)

Receiving Nourishment– “As new born babes, desire the

pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (v. 2).

Iْل ى – ِإ و�ُق�وا َت َش ،OَيثاIُح َد َم و%ْل�وِدIَيَن َو ُك َأ ْط%َف اٍل-Iْل ى ِإ IِهI ِب %ُم�وا َت ْن Iْك ْي% ْل �ِقIْي+ اْلْن اْلِّر\َوُحIْي+ Iْب َن�اْلَّل

اْلَخ َال َص ، %َّل�ُغ�وا َت ْب َأ ْن%

What does the church nurse us?

• Milk of Love– “Blessed is he who nurses from it! It is

available in winter, as well as in summer. It does not need to be heated or to be cooled, for it is always ready” (St. Clement of Alexandria)

• Spiritual teachings • Living rituals• Intercessions and prayers

of the saints

Coming to the Stone• “If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is

gracious. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious” (v. 3-4)

– jٌب+ ْط ِّي �اْلِّر�َّب �َأ ْن �ْم% َت َذ َو�ُق%ُت ُق َد% Oاpُح ِق �ْم% %ُت ُك�ْن Iْن% ! ِإاْل�َذIي – �اْلَح ْي اْلَح َج ِّر IِهIْب اِرI Iاْع%ُت ِب ،Iِه% Iْل ِّي ِإ �ْم% %ُت َت ِّي َأ ُق َد% �ْم% %ُت ْن َف َأ

IِهIْن َظ ِّر َفIْي jِّيَنIَث ُم َو ُه�و ، �اْلَّلِه �ُت اِر ِه َو اُخ% ،��اُس اْلْن �. ِر َف َض ِه

Christ is the Stone• “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a

foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily” (Is. 28:16).

• “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” (Ps 117: 22).

• “‘For behold, the stone that I have laid before Joshua: upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold I will engrave its inscription,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day’” (Zech 3:9).

Figures of Christ – the Stone• Joshua’s : “Behold, this stone shall be a

witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God” (Josh 24:26, 27).

• Jacob’s • Moses’s • David’s

The Chief Cornerstone• “Therefore, to you who believe, He is

precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” (v. 7).

• “Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Eph 2:20-22)

Offering Acceptable Sacrifices• “You also, as living stones, are being built

up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (v. 5)

�وْن – َت ْك�وْن ،Oاp ِر�َوُحIِّي Oُتا% ِب ِّي +ِّيَن Iِّي %ْن َم ْب �ٍة-، ُح ِّي ُك َحIَج اِر ٍة- IِهI ِب �َحIَد�َوا اَت Iَذ ْنI ِإ Oوْل ٍة� َم ِق%ْب Oٍة� ِر�َوُحIِّي Iَح َذ ِب اِئ IَّلِهI ْل �ِق َد+َم�وْن َت َم�ِق َد�ِسIِّيَن Oُك َه ْن ٍة IِّيِهIَف

IِّيَحIاْل%ُم َس َي َس�وَع Iَف َض%َّلI ِب Iِه% .ْل َد َي

Acceptable Spiritual Sacrifices• Slaying the human will or the ego

– “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20)

• The sacrifice of humility before God and men– “For you do not desire a sacrifice, or else I

would give it.; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, these O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:16,17).

Acceptable Spiritual Sacrifices• The sacrifice of good deeds:

– “Do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Heb.13:16).

– “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness” (Ps.4:5).

Acceptable Spiritual Sacrifices• The sacrifice of the flesh:

– “Let us, then, control the flesh, through the bonds of love and offer it on the altar. Let us hold on to the cross of the Lord, offering the members of the body as a living, holy, and acceptable sacrifice to God. (Rom. 12:1). Let us slay the members of the flesh and not present them as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present them as instruments of righteousness to God. Hence, all the desires, emotions, feelings of the members of the body are sanctified to become energy helping the spirit, instead of fighting the spirit.” (St. Augustine)

Acceptable Spiritual Sacrifices• The sacrifice of thanksgiving:

– “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Heb.13: 15)

Our Relation with Christ our Rock

• “Coming to Him as to a living stone” (v. 3)

• Abandoning the Negatives– all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy,

envy, and all evil speaking

• Receiving Nourishment– The Word of God– Love– Spiritual teachings – Living rituals– Intercessions and prayers of the

saints

Our Relation with Christ our Rock • Coming to the Stone

– Christ is the Stone; the chief corner-stone

– Many figures of Christ as the stone in the Old Testament

• Offering Acceptable Sacrifices– Slaying the human will or the ego– The sacrifice of humility – The sacrifice of good deeds– The sacrifice of pain and suffering– The sacrifice of the flesh– The sacrifice of thanksgiving