1

Crave The Word of God (2:1-3)

 Therefore, stopping

all meanness,

and all deception,

and hypocrisy,

and envy,

and all slander, 

2 crave the pure, spiritual milk of the word,

like newborn babies crave their mother’s milk,

so that you may grow in your salvation, 

3 assuming you have actually experienced the kindness of the Lord. 

4

Build Upon the Son of God (2:4-8)

 Every time you come to Him 

who is the living stone,

rejected by men as worthless,

but chosen and precious in God’s sight, 

5 you yourselves are being built up, 

  like living stones,

as a spiritual house,

into a holy priesthood,

to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

6 As it is written in the Scripture, God said,

“I chose a valuable stone,

which I placed as the cornerstone in Zion;

and anyone who trusts in Him

will never ever be disappointed.” 

7 Therefore, He is of precious value for you who trust Him.

 But for those who do not trust Him,

“The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” 

8 And, 

“He is the stone that causes people to stumble, the rock that makes them fall.”

They were destined to stumble and fall because they do not obey God’s word. 

9

Serve in the Family of God (2:9-10)

 But you are

a chosen family,

a royal priesthood,

a holy nation,

God’s own people,

so that you can proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you

out of darkness

into His wonderful light. 

10 “Once you had no identity as a people;

now you are God’s people.

Once you received no mercy;

now you have received God’s mercy.”