Goal for tonight is to focus on who Jesus is – the Cornerstone -- and who we are in Him

Let’s review our theme verse...I Peter 4.19...

Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Keep working on it...it takes time and repetition to memorize something...you can do it!

Now we’ll turn to our text for tonight...I Peter 2.4-8...let’s stand in honor of God’s word

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

   a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected

   has become the cornerstone,”

8 and

“A stone of stumbling,

   and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

The primary thought of this passage is about Who Jesus is...that He is the Cornerstone, chosen and precious, foretold by the Old Testament prophets, having come to earth as the Word made flesh, and now resurrected, ascended, and present in His people through the Holy Spirit...

The secondary thought is who we are...His own people, His priests with Himself as the Great High Priest, His possession...to put it in today’s terms, Jesus Nation...

Because when you think about it, to really understand ourselves, we have to know who He is, so we can understand who we are in Him...

Identity is an overused word in today’s world...in our culture, we have the right, some might say the responsibility, to “identify” ourselves, even to the point of choosing which pronouns we wish for people to use when they write to us or speak with us...if it has to do with so-called identity characteristics, it seems to be critically important to the world...I have to smile about that a bit, because the Bible treats such things as trivial, barely mentioning them...what matters in the Bible is this: not who you are, but Whose you are...that’s what our identity is about, and that’s what this passage is about...

The Living Stone            

Let’s bring the verses up on the screen again...

4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 

Jesus is described as a stone...the Gr word is ‘lithos’ meaning a building stone, a stone chosen and hewn for a special purpose... 

So what do we know about this Stone of whom Peter speaks? 

First, He is living – He’s a living stone, an image not found in the Old Testament, but inaugurated here in Peter’s first letter...again, the Gr word is ‘zao,’ alive, not dead...this had to bring joy to Peter’s heart to write this, as he reflected back on the morning that he ran with John to the tomb to discover that it was empty, and then was with the other apostles when Jesus came and appeared in their midst...I’m sure all the apostles were deeply affected by Jesus’s resurrection, but I think Peter might have been the most grateful for His return, because of the way Peter had acted in their last encounter before the crucifixion...Peter’s grief might have been a touch deeper than the rest, as it was more than just sorrow, but also a profound regret for his failure in that moment...so for Peter to see the risen Jesus, and be graciously received back again and restored by Him, must have been especially meaningful...I think it meant a lot to Peter to write that Jesus was alive...

Second, He was rejected by men...Jesus was rejected...the word means to be unconsidered bad, wrong, or unfit for use by the religious leaders of His day...but God is still sovereign, and will not be deterred by human opposition...He will still accomplish all that He has purposed to do...so don’t be surprised or discouraged by those who would disagree or oppose you...the Kingdom of God will still triumph!

Third, Jesus is chosen...the Gr is ‘eklektos’ the same word used of us in I Peter 1.1, the “elect exiles”...a majority of the 26 times the word is used in the New Testament, it refers to God’s people, but Peter applies it here, to Christ as the chosen living Stone...it would be a study all in itself to see how many times the same word is used of both Jesus Christ and His people, His bride...it’s more than you think...but here we see that Jesus Himself is also elect, chosen by God the Father...He is the chosen One, the singular Messiah, for no one else could do what He could do...

Fourth, Jesus is precious...the Gr means highly valued, valuable or honored...it’s used just five times...Jesus is of infinite value...even a word like “precious” doesn’t begin to capture His worth and importance...most people don’t see Him as precious today, but one day they will, as everyone bows the knee to King Jesus and finally sees Him for Who He really is...I think both these descriptions, “chosen” and “precious” are used in counterpoint to the attitude of the world toward Jesus, particularly the religious leaders of His day...the sense is that while the world considers Jesus the Messiah to be of no value, rejected, bad, wrong, unfit, undesirable, God the Father sees Him as chosen and precious...it reminded me of I Corinthians 1.27-29...

27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 

God delights in using what the world sees as useless, weak, low and despised, to accomplish His work...whether it’s Jesus, the poor infant from Bethlehem and the unfit teacher from Galilee, or us, the “nothings” of the world...

The Living Stones         

Now Peter turns from his description of Jesus Christ to a description of His people...

5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

This is where our identity comes in...because He is Who He is, we are who we are...

So who are we?

We are living stones, too, as Jesus is...we share this common identity with Christ...He’s the original living stone, and we follow in that...

We are being built up as a spiritual house...”built up” renders a fairly common word...when you see “build” or “built” in English, it’s this word...Gr ‘oikodomeo’ ... it means to strengthen or build, to construct something by combining parts...here it’s in the present tense, because this act of building is happening now...it’s used by Jesus in Matthew 16.18 when He speaks to Peter after Peter’s great confession of Who Jesus is... 

18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

We are the building materials that will make up a spiritual house...a dwelling of the Holy Spirit...that’s what believers all over the world are right now...we are now being built up into a house, Gr ‘oikos’ ...this closely echoes the words of Paul in Ephesians 2.19-22

19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

If you are interested in more about Ephesians, you can find my teaching on it on the VBVF website, vbvf.org...but here Paul talks about the church in much the same way as Peter, so by comparing the two, we can learn more about each of them...Paul describes this spiritual house in two ways: as a holy temple in the Lord, a theme he repeats in I Corinthians 3.16...

16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 

And Paul calls us a “dwelling place for God by the Spirit” ... a more specialized, unusual word...only used twice, here and Revelation 18.2...in both cases, this “dwelling place” is spoken of only as a place for spirits...here, God by the Holy Spirit, in Revelation, it’s used of Babylon the Great, and the inhabitants are demons...

The believers alive and living on the earth form a dwelling place, a spiritual house, for our God...He chooses to dwell in us individually and in a corporate sense, as well...

Then Peter turns to a different metaphor...we are also priests...

to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Each believer is a priest, a member of a holy priesthood, led by our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, as we see in Hebrews 4.14...

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 

So what are our tasks as priests of the Most High God? What do priests do, anyway?

One key priestly task that Peter calls out here is offering sacrifices...Peter tells us here that we are to offer sacrifices, too, as the priests of old did, but the nature of the sacrifices has changed...no longer are we sacrificing animals or agricultural products like grain, wine, or oil...instead, we are offering spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ...let’s see what those are..

When you search the New Testament to see what the word describes as “sacrifices” in our day, the first one we find is Romans 12.1-2... 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 

The first thing we must do when we desire to offer spiritual sacrifices to God is this: we give ourselves, our physical bodies, to Him for His purposes in this world...Paul calls it a “living sacrifice” – we give ourselves to the Lord, consecrated for the good works He’s prepared for us to do...Ephesians 2.10...when we offer up our bodies to Him, we become His hands and feet, His eyes and ears, His mind and heart, to the people around us...we sometimes pray, “Lord, may others see You in us...” – that’s how the Lord answers that prayer, when we offer Him the living sacrifice of ourselves

But there’s more...Hebrews 13.15-16  

15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

In the last chapter of Hebrews, the author exhorts us to take on the reproach of Jesus as citizens of our heavenly country...and then writes the verses we just read as a call to sacrifice three things to our God...

First, praise...specifically the “fruit of lips that acknowledge the name of God”...praise is the heart cry of the redeemed...we cannot help it, those who know Him and love Him will praise Him...whether in words or in song, our voices will ring out in praise to our God, exalting Him and declaring His greatness...that’s why there are really just two parts to a worship service here at Verse by Verse Fellowship: we worship in song, and we worship in the word...as we sing together, we are doing exactly what Hebrews 13.15 says to do, offer a sacrifice of praise to our God...we’re going to be praising our God in heaven...may we never miss an opportunity to praise our God!

Second, doing good to others...this is another way for us to imitate our God...to act in love and grace toward others, especially those who cannot return the love in kind...for that is just what He did toward us...He did good toward us when we did not deserve it...Luke 6.35-36...

35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

This passage from Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount makes the point that there is no “credit” as Jesus says it, for those who would only help those who can help them in return...as Jesus says, even sinners love their friends and help them...to truly act out of divine love, you help those who cannot help you in return...then we will be sons and daughters of the Most High...why have Christians throughout the ages helped others? Because by doing so, we love and honor God, and obey His word...

Third, share what we have with others...we give of our resources to others who are in need...it could be participating in a food drive with Daily Bread Ministries, or contributing to the costs of a missionary so he or she can go on an East-West short term mission trip, or contributing to the ongoing expenses of full-time missionaries on the field around the world, or giving to the ministry of Project 10:27 to bless the seniors of our city, or giving through Sparrow Songs to provide worship experiences to the Air Force basic trainees at Lackland AFB...what matters most isn’t how much you give; Paul made that point to the Corinthians in II Corinthians 8.12...

12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

Three sacrifices that we as priests should be regularly making to honor our God...spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

The Cornerstone      

Peter now closes this passage by appealing to the Old Testament to declare that Jesus is the Cornerstone...

6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

   a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

As he marshals the Old Testament evidence for Jesus as the cornerstone, Peter turns first to Isaiah 28.16... 

thus says the Lord God,

“Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,

   a stone, a tested stone,

a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:

   ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’ Or ‘be put to shame’ 

Cornerstones were critically important to building stone structures in the ancient world...they still are important today...the builder needed a tested stone to make a sure foundation...the cornerstone must be perfectly fitted to the master stonemason’s use, formed exactly as required and perfectly set in place to form the first corner of the building...all the other stones take their place based on the cornerstone...let’s return to Paul in Ephesians 2.20-21...

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

All the other stones – everyone, from Paul and Peter to us – need the cornerstone in order to rightly be joined together...only Jesus Christ is that One without whom everything else falls apart...Colossians 1.17 speaks this truth...

17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Peter’s second OT quotation is what he heard Jesus say to the Pharisees in Matthew 21, Psalm 118.22...

7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

The stone that the builders rejected

   has become the cornerstone.

The Father is laying a cornerstone, the choice stone...and He is laying that stone in His city, Jerusalem, the place of Jesus’s crucifixion, yes, but also His resurrection...in that place is where the Father laid down the first stone of the church, the risen Christ, God the Son back from the dead, and we all take our lead from Him...

Your faith in Jesus will never be a cause for shame in the eyes of God...in fact, Peter says in verse 7 that it is a cause for honor for believers...we will enjoy a measure of the honor of our Savior...as He is glorified, so will we be with Him...

But for those who do not believe, who reject King Jesus, there is only one outcome – dishonor...for them verse 8 is true...

8 and

“A stone of stumbling,

   and a rock of offense.”

Here Peter brings forth his third Old Testament quotation, this time from Isaiah 8.13-15...

13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he (Messiah) will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

Another example of a NT writer bringing forward an OT passage and applying it to Jesus...those who do not turn in faith to Jesus will be as Israel and Judah...they will fall over the stumbling stone...this is exactly what Jesus meant when He spoke in Matthew 21.44

44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” 

Peter closes these verses with verse 8...

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

He’s answering an unasked question: why do some people not believe in Jesus?

The Bible is filled with examples of people who were given great opportunity to see and hear God, who had every reason to believe in Him and His word, but who did not...and there are also plenty of examples of those who saw and heard God, from Sinai to Galilee, and who did turn from their sin to God...

What makes the difference?

Listen to the words of Romans 9...it’s a long quote, we’ll summarize at the end...

8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12 she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” 14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 

Let me summarize what this chapter tells us about the doctrine of election...

It’s not based on works, but on Him who calls (v. 11)

It’s God’s sovereign choice to grant mercy and compassion as He chooses (v. 15)

It’s not a matter of human will or exertion – or anything else in us (v. 16)

As the Creator God, He has the right to do with His creation as He will (v. 21)

God has granted salvation to people from all tribes and tongues and nations...no group is excluded (v. 24)

We are justified by grace through faith in the work of Christ, not by works of the Law (v. 32)

Example of rubber ducks going off a cliff – or students who all fail a math test

No one suffers unjustly – no one receives less than he or she deserves – some receive more, but no one receives less – God is not a God of fairness in man’s eyes, but a God of justice

God does not predestine the lost to damnation...Gr ‘proorizo’ to determine something ahead of time or before it’s occurrence; used twice in Romans 8.29-30, twice in Ephesians 1, and once in Acts 4.28 about the plan of redemption involving the atoning death of Christ; related to God’s foreknowledge (I Peter 1.2, 20); never used of perdition or damnation

The word here in 2.8 is not “predestine” (proorizo) but “destine” (tithemi) meaning to set in place, lay, or appoint

All that is needed for humans to enter into eternity apart from Christ and be lost is for God to not intervene...Romans 1, “God gave them over” – in that sense, God has placed them under judgment; they will suffer what their deeds deserve

This can be a difficult truth for some...but it is truth nevertheless...it offends our pride, our need for control, and for some, an earthly concept of fairness...we have to learn to find truth in God’s word, not cultural precepts, the wisdom of this world, or our own thoughts and preconceived ideas...

So we know who Jesus is...and we know who we are...and we see the sovereignty of God for the bedrock truth that it is for the church...