Jesus was destined by God to be the Living Stone. Likewise, some sinners are destined by God to stumble over the Stone for the praise of his holy justice. On the other hand, some sinners are destined to stand in the sanctuary of the Stone for the praise of his glorious grace. The Living Stone is a sanctuary for all who believe and a stumbling block for all who do not believe.

The Father gives us new birth by his word and new life in his word. Therefore we must love one another deeply from the heart, put off community destroying vices, and crave pure spiritual milk.

Easter Sunday: The crucified Christ is the suffering servant of the Lord. The resurrected Christ is the sovereign Shepherd of his people.

The Spirit is radically Christ-centered. His primary objective is to reveal Jesus Christ to the world, especially to all God's elect strangers. The same Spirit who revealed Christ to the prophets, also revealed Christ to the apostles. And the same Spirit who revealed Christ to the apostles and prophets also reveals Christ to us.

“There is a rhythm, a pattern to our Christian experience: suffering leads to glory; trial leads to victory; hardships are the pathway to maturity.” (Sinclair Ferguson, Children of the Living God, p 81)

Wives, Peter’s command to be subject to your own husbands is a call to walk in the steps of Jesus. Likewise, husbands, Peter’s command to show honor to your wife is a call to walk in the steps of Jesus.

To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion...according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Peter uses Psalm 34 to teach Christian exiles how to survive in the world. Psalm 34 is a psalm of deliverance. On the one hand, it is doxological—a word of praise (34:1-10). On the other hand it is pedagogical and ethical—a word of moral teaching (34:11-22). To survive in the world exiles must worship God and live according to hsi word.

Noah and his family were saved from a perverse generation by the flood, and they were saved from the flood because they were in the ark. Likewise, you and your children may be saved from a corrupt generation and the empty traditions of your forefathers in Christ through baptism.

In this text Peter "eulogizes" God the Father for two main reasons: (1) for giving us new birth and (2) for guarding us for salvation according to his mercy and power.