A Chosen Generation

1 Peter 2:4-10

It takes a keen eye and informed perspective to appreciate and identify the true value of precious gems like diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds!

Perhaps you know about the Hope Diamond? It’s the most valuable jewel in the world, valued at $200-250 million. It was supposedly stolen from an idol temple in India, and it was owned and worn by Louis the XIV, Mary Antoinette of France, and King George IV of England. After this, it disappeared for a while, then reappeared years later and was sold to dealers in London, then NYC, then to a wealthy heiress in Washington, D.C. named Mrs. Evalyn McLean. Today, it sits in a bomb-proof case at the Smithsonian. The only other artistic piece to receive more visitors per year is the Mona Lisa. Could you tell the difference between the Hope Diamond and a fake one? In fact, how do you know that the diamond you’re wearing (if you have on) is real?

Have you ever bought a diamond? Imagine paying thousands or millions of dollars for a fake one, one designed and manufactured to look like a diamond but it’s not. Interestingly enough, the sales of fake diamonds are booming, generating $32 billion in sales per year, but why? Here are seven reasons why people knowingly buy fake diamonds:

So that the bride-to-be can choose the ring she prefers after the proposal

To help the groom-to-be keep the proposal a surprise

To avoid wasting money if she says ‘no’

To have an alternative, lookalike ring for travel and work

To prevent strangers from flirting

To accent specific outfits

To save money

I’ve taken time to consider the value of precious jewels today because that’s what Peter is speaking about in the next section of his letter. In 1 Pet 2:4-10, Peter compares the value and worth of Christ to a precious jewel, and he does the same for us as well. In God’s sight, anyone who has placed his or her faith in Christ as God and Savior is far more valuable than the Hope Diamond.

We must treasure Christ as God the Father does.

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious.” (1 Pet 2:4)

Peter has just encouraged believers to “desire the pure milk of the Word as newborn babies” so strongly and intently desire their mother’s milk. Now he tells us that when we seek the pure milk of the Word we are not engaging in a purely intellectual exercise or ritualistic spiritual discipline. We are “coming to him” – meaning we are approaching Christ in a real personal and relational way. To desire God’s Word is to desire Christ himself.

After making this clear, Peter introduces a second analogy to help us grasp the degree to which we should seek Christ through the Word. He has already described the strength of the desire we should have for the Word, but now he describes the degree of value we should place on the Word. We should value Christ (as explained in the Word) as we would value an extremely valuable gemstone, like the Hope Diamond or the Crown Jewels.

By the unusual term “living stone,” Peter likely seems to bringing several things to mind. In addition to the imagery of a beautiful, valuable gemstone – like a diamond or ruby, he also reminds us that this is a “living” stone, which is the opposite of the dead lifeless stones of pagan idols. And we know, of course, that Christ is more than a living stone, he is a resurrected stone. Though he died for our sins, he rose again. He is alive!

As remarkable of a “stone” as Jesus Christ is, not everyone sees him or values him the same way – as he deserves to be valued. Stunningly, he was “rejected indeed by men.”

Three months ago, a 1952 baseball card of Mickey Mantle, the infamous Yankees slugger, sold for a whopping $12,600,000. Oddly enough, my father remembers buying Mickey Mantle baseball cards for the chewing gum that came in the packs, then taping the baseball cards to the spokes of his bike wheels to make a “zooming” sound. Talk about valuing the wrong thing! This is what happened to Christ.

“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11)

When he came into the world, he lived, served, taught, suffered, and died. Through all that, he was never valued for who he truly was – the Son of God. He was severely undervalued, so much that they charged him as a criminal and crucified him on a cross.

Yet, God knew his true value and worth. At his baptism, God the Father spoke audibly to the crowd which had gathered there at the Jordan River:

“He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” (Mark 1:11)

Peter further tells us that to God the Father, Christ was “chosen” and “precious.” This means that he was personally selected by the Father, similar to how a man personally selects an engagement ring for his fiancé – with deliberate love, thought, and care. He is also “precious,” meaning “highly valued, honored, and respected.” God the Father chose Christ and cherishes Christ. If God the Father chose and cherishes Christ, we should do the same!

Now – would you like to hear something somewhat shocking?

God chose and cherishes those who follow Christ, as well.

“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.” (1 Pet 2:5)

Here Peter uses the same language as he used for the way God values Christ. He tells us that are also “living stones” and that we also (“you also”) are “chosen by God and precious.” Can you believe that? Have you fully comprehended just greatly God values you? For all of your failures, faults, and sins, God treasures you greatly as he treasures Christ. He has chosen you as a husband chooses the diamond for his fiancé’s engagement ring, and he has valued you highly as a priceless, precious jewel.

As God the Father gathers people as gemstones for his own enjoyment, what is he doing with them? Does he stash them away in a vault, bury them in a treasure chest, or set them into a crown or necklace of some sort? He is doing none of these things. As Peter describes, he is building a spiritual house with them – with those who follow his Son.

We are “being built up as a spiritual house,” Peter says. This means that God is putting us to meaningful use, not stashing us away to gather dust. It also means that he is displaying us publicly for all to see and that we are a place where he desires to be, to dwell, to live. Imagine a palace much brighter and grander than the annual ice palace in Detroit Lakes, a palace constructed entirely not of ice but of priceless gems hand-selected and appraised by God himself. This IS THE CHURCH.

We are also “being built up…a holy priesthood.” A priest is someone who serves as a “bridge” between God and people, helping other people come into a new and closer relationship with God. In our case, we are being chosen as partners with Christ who bring people into a new and closer relationship with God through Christ by living out the life of Christ to them and then explaining the message of Christ to them. How do we do this (Walls and Anders)?

The Old Testament speaks of spiritual sacrifices of prayer, thanksgiving, praise, and repentance. The New Testament goes even further by identifying spiritual sacrifices as (1) the offering of our bodies to God for his service; (2) the offerings of our financial gifts; and (3) practical, loving service to other people. Spiritual sacrifices in the New Testament involve our bodies, our money, and our time (Rom 12:1-2).

As Peter describes our special, shared role together as the church, he makes sure we realize that all of this is only possible for and through Jesus Christ alone. We are chosen because of Christ, not because of our own merit. We are highly valued because of our close association with Christ, not because of our own innate value. And we are able to bring others to God through the message, power, and compassion of Christ. Yes, we are saved through Christ alone, but we also serve God and others through Christ alone.

All of this had been prophesies centuries before.

As Peter continues to write, he does something which he’s done a lot of already in the first chapter – he refers to things which were written in the Old Testament hundreds of years before Christ had come into the world as our Savior. By doing this, Peter demonstrates that though the rejection of Christ (and the resulting rejection and hardship of his followers) make is seem as though God’s plan was poorly engineered, it was not God who had been mistaken.

First, he quotes from Isaiah 28:16:

“Therefore, it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’”

By quoting this prophecy, Peter encourages all followers of Christ that God had indeed chosen Christ to be our God, our Savior, and our King and that if we would believe on him, we would not be embarrassed, humiliated, and made to look foolish in the end – as though we had thrown away our live savings for a fake diamond we thought was genuine. You may be made to feel foolish at times, but rest assured, you are not.

Then, Peter quotes from Psalm 118:22:

“The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone”

Peter directs this statement to anyone who refuses to believe on Christ as God and Savior. To them, he says that Christ is not just a chosen and valuable stone, but he is the “chief cornerstone.” The purpose of a cornerstone, in that ancient way of engineering buildings, was to establish the direction and stability of a building, as everything else would build out from that stone and ultimately rest upon it. The only way to get life right is to place your complete and entire trust on Jesus Christ alone as God and Savior.

Next, Peter quotes from Isaiah 28:16:

“A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.”

With this prophecy, Peter injects a little bit of irony into his message. Imagine with him that Christ is a large, perfectly cut, highly valuable gemstone sitting on the ground of a building site. Rather than building the rest of the building upon it, the builders trip and fall over that rock instead and view it as a hindrance rather than a help. Rather than build their life upon it, they remove it from the jobsite instead. What a fatal error! To this error, Peter adds a somber warning:

“They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.”

They stumble because they disobey and reject the good news of Christ’s salvation. And this stumbling (not their rejection) was something that God has predetermined or appointed to happen. John MacArthur helpfully explains what Peter is saying here:

Unbelievers receive the exact judgment their sinful choice demands—to this doom they were also appointed—because they do not believe and obey the gospel. God does not actively destine people to unbelief; but He does appoint judgment (doom) on every unbeliever

If you will stumble over Christ by rejecting the gospel, then you will face the certain and everlasting doom of God’s judgment – though society may accept you for now. But if you are rejected – like Christ – by this present world, rest assured that you will not be ashamed in the end.

God has given us a special purpose.

As we await our future vindication, what should we do in the meantime? Peter answers this question next:

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Pet 2:9)

Those who turn to Christ are a (1) chosen people, (2) royal priesthood, and (3) holy nation:

· Chosen generation emphasize that God has personally handpicked and selected each one who believes and placed each one into the church as a jeweler chooses, polishes, and sets a gem into a ring, watch, or other piece of exquisite jewelry. “Generation” here refers to a “group of people” rather than people born in a certain period of time (such as Millennial, Gen Z, etc.).

· Royal priesthood reminds us that we are serving royalty, courtiers in the court of the highest king in the universe – like getting a job for the President of the United States, only much, much better.

· Holy nation emphasizes that we are a special kind of people who are holy in nature and quality, pleasing in God’s sight and devoted to his service. This also reminds us to whom we must be allegiant and loyal – we must be devoted to his service alone, for as Jesus taught, “No man can serve two masters” (Matt 6:24). We must not only worship and serve on Sunday in service to God but every moment of our lives should be lived as an outflow of allegiance and service to God

Things which have little or no value in and of themselves become quite valuable when they represent or are owned by famous, successful, and wealthy people. A baseball card, for instance, is worth very little as it’s only a piece of cardboard with some paint on it. But if the person who’s name and picture are printed on that cardboard becomes a successful and popular athlete, then that card will be worth hundreds, thousands, and maybe even millions. As I mentioned earlier, a 1952 Mickey Mantle for 12,600,000 million 3 mos. ago. A 1911 Honus Wagner baseball card sold for $6,606,000 in 2021. A Steph Curry basketball card for $5,900,000 in 2021. This is like us.

We become valuable in God’s sight and in our role in this world not because we deserve to be. We don’t deserve this at all. We were not such valuable and significant people before we believed on Christ, but we have become the special people of God because we “obtained mercy.”

In fact, we lived without God first before we were saved. We were like raw, useless mineral deposits buried away in a dark, deep, dirty cavern somewhere only to be drawn out, purified, and placed into the church through Christ. As such living stones, we now have a purpose – to “proclaim the praises of him who called you.”

To close this section, Peter refers to a fascinating Old Testament story. This was a true story played out in real life by God’s instruction through a man named Hosea (Hos 1:9, 10; 2:23).

“Who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Pet 2:10)

In this story, God told the prophet Hosea to marry a woman named Gomer, who would become unfaithful and a harlot after their marriage. Before that happened, she would bear at least three children, one of whose name meant “you are not my people,” representing how God had taken the nation of Israel out from the pagan nations of the world to be his own, though they had not belonged to him or followed him. In this story, God told Hosea to go, recover, and remarry Gomer after she had been unfaithful to him and humiliated herself in a tragic lifestyle. With this real-life drama, God illustrated for us his faithful commitment to loving us as his people, despite our sins against him.

This is your purpose. Not to please yourself. Not to discover yourself. Not to serve yourself. Your purpose is to reveal to the world the matchless excellencies, glories, goodness, and qualities of God to the world. As people see and hear your life as you live before them, they should be impacted by the beauty and splendor of Christ. They should behold the goodness and the greatness of all that he is and all that he has done.

“Proclaim” means “to report, spread the word, make known.” And what are we to make known as God’s chosen, valuable jewels of the church today? The “praises” of the God who saved us. “Praises” refers to the excellence of character that represents our God – his personal qualities and attributes of love, holiness, goodness, kindness, justice, compassion, faithfulness, and mercy. As his jewels, together we are called to reflect his glory to the world.

Christ provides a real solution to low self-esteem.

For decades now, our American culture has been identifying and trying to address what we call “low self-esteem.” By this, we mean:

not liking yourself very much

assuming that others don’t like you because you’re unlikeable or damaged

viewing yourself as unlovable or unworthy of love

Possible causes of this low self-esteem (esp. during childhood and adolescence) include (according to Healthline, a medically reviewed online website):

ongoing harsh criticism from authority figures, such as parents or teachers

being raised by emotionally distant parents or apart from your biological parent(s)

experiencing childhood trauma, such as bullying or parental divorce

physical abuse

having trouble keeping up at school

having a physical or mental disability

feeling less attractive than the ideal, popularized image portrayed by society

actions or experiences which contradict your beliefs and values

and – I would add – living under unreasonable, unrealistic expectations

Where does this concept of self-esteem come from and is it a biblical and correct idea? Not necessarily. The concept of self-esteem originated in the writings of the Scottish enlightenment philosopher David Hume in the 1700s. He suggested that it is important to think well of oneself because doing so provides a motivates and enables people to discover their full potential (Wikipedia).

In addition, Hume doubted the notion of causality, building his ideas from an evolutionary, naturalistic perspective while doubting that man had been made or created by God. In one instance, he said, “We observe neither God nor other universes, and hence no conjunction involving them. There is no observed conjunction to ground an inference either to extended objects or to God, as unobserved causes.”

So, we should ask ourselves, is it helpful or wise to take advice and counsel from such agnostic or atheistic sources? Definitely not, because they distance and separate themselves and those they counsel from any real solutions and provide a faulty diagnosis, as well.

Popular self-care, self-affirming behaviors include:

letting go of the past and stop worrying about the future through mindfulness and meditation

reciting positive affirmations daily

journaling

practicing self-hygiene

utilizing stress reduction techniques such as deep breathing

physical activity such as exercising and yoga

grounding exercises that quiet negative thoughts

socializing with people you trust and feel good about

accepting and believing compliments

acknowledging your own achievements

Though there are grains of truth and good advice here, all of these concepts are missing two crucial elements which Peter has acknowledged in our passage today.

The first element is a clear acceptance that we do fail, and we do not deserve God’s favor due to our own sinfulness. Though we may face many hurtful things, like abuse, unrealistic expectations, and inordinate criticism, we are not innocent bystanders and wounded puppies. We are sinners, too, who have hurt other people and rebelled against God ourselves. In this way, some of our feelings of guilt and shame are accurate and justified and must be acknowledged as such. The solution to these feelings is not to deny, ignore, explain them away, or blame them on another person. The solution is to admit that they are true, and that Christ has taken the full guilt and punishment for your sins on the cross, then accepting full and free acceptance and forgiveness from God.

The second element is acknowledging on a regular basis something far more true and encouraging than positive affirmations, believing others’ compliments, and acknowledging your own achievements. It is acknowledging that God himself has chosen you and values you highly despiteyour failures. He values you like a precious gem, just as he values Christ, and he has given you a special and eternal purpose – to reveal to the world the greatness and goodness of God!

Today, let me encourage you to obey God and believe on Christ alone as your God and Savior. And to those who have, let me encourage your heart today in knowing that you’ve been chosen by God and are highly valued, cherished, and treasured by God. You are special and important to him and have a very special and significant place in the church. You have a very important role to reveal the amazing qualities of God – like a precious gem shining brightly – to the sin-darkened world around you.

For sure, you don’t deserve this, but that doesn’t matter anymore. You’ve been chosen by God and that’s all that matters. You may be someone’s only chance this week to come face to face with the goodness and mercy of God by the words that you speak and the deeds that you do. May they – through you – come to believe on Christ and find that they have been chosen by God as well.