Living Stones and Holy Priesthoods

1 Peter 2.4-12

In our recent trip to Cape Hatteras, I was amazed at how the beach houses were built, all up and down the Outer Banks.

On Stilts. With the traditional first floor being at the second level elevation, sometimes even being high enough to be the third level.

Jesus even tells the Parable about building your house upon the sand- And yet, even today, we continue to build on sandy foundations.

Sold Listings 01/01/2023 to 3/31/2023 (OBX Realty Group)

Median Price Avg Price Max Price Min Price

$610,000  $765,048 $6,050,000 $175,000

All because of mans determination to build and settle in places that are not best suited for living near.

New Orleans- Built BELOW the flood plane

San Francisco and much of Central California built on a known major fault line

Since the 1980’s alone several hurricanes have ravaged the Outer Banks, displaced thousands, killed hundreds and left behind hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

And yet every time, after each disaster- the people come back and rebuild.

Our Captain and First Mate noted that the fishing industry has to constantly monitor the shifting sand bars- UNDERWATER- because what was a safe route to take one week may not be the next week as the current is constantly moving the sand around.

However, as believers in Jesus Christ, we can rest assured that the Solid Rock that our faith is built on does not and will not shift at the whims of Nature, Man or any current fad.

Just as Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone of the Church, rejected by men, but chosen of God and precious in His sight...

We too, are the Living Stones that form the Spiritual House of God, being that Holy Priesthood, offering the acceptable offerings to God through Jesus Christ.

We can stand in the comfort of knowing that The cornerstone has been laid and is a sure foundation and there is no shame that comes to those that believe. (Isaiah 28.16)

Understanding that the rejection of the world towards the believer is no different than how they rejected Christ Himself (Ps 118.22)

But as God has done so many times in the past, he does for us today-

Taking what Man has meant for evil and using it for good.

As noted in (Isaiah 8.14) This Chief Cornerstone is a constant stumbling block and an offense to the unbeliever.

In the context of Isaiah, both Israel and Judah are being warned to put their full trust, honor and obedience to God.

They had no reason to fear any other Nation, as long as they kept their focus on God.

This is a point that Peter re-visits in this letter, as it seems his target audience was tempted to fear the Leaders/Gov’ts around them that persecuted them for their faith.

Both Peter and Apostle Paul reassure the people that whoever believes in Jesus WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.

Peter even adds the emphasis, that, based on that rejection, They are doomed to fail- It is their Destiny.

I think we can relieve ourselves of a lot of angst, if we can accept the fact that, Although God is Sovereign and in control of all events- PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE...

Mankind is responsible the sins we commit, and we sin willingly. There is no-”The Devil made me do it” or “Oops, pardon my French...”

SEPARATING THE SHEEP FROM THE GOATS

But this is what sets us apart- They stumble out of their own disobedience. Sometimes ignorance, but mostly out of their own stubborn rebellion.

And the world continues to reject Him today. With more intensity than ever

But God…has set us apart, He has Chosen Us. First as He chose the Israelite Nation of the OT…But through Christ we have been grafted into that same family-

A Royal Priesthood,

A Holy Nation

The Prize Possession of God Almighty

And for what?

To Proclaim the Glory, Grace and Mercy (The Excellence) of Him who called us out of our darkness into His Glorious Light.

And lest anyone get a big head about this, We are reminded that, we too, once lived in darkness, We were once living outside God’s grace and mercy.

And some try to argue that we cannot be both a Holy Temple of God AND the Priesthood that works in that temple.

But this is part of the New Covenant that we enjoy in Christ.

The Old Testament had, first the Tabernacle in the Desert, serviced and maintained by the Levites and Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, maintained by the Priests and Rabbi’s.

With the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit that all Christian Believers experience, we become, spiritually speaking, a Holy Priesthood, as we maintain our own personal Temple’s of God (The New Creation)

It is also vital to understand that in the original text, The rejection of Christ was not a one time thing, But a continuing event.

Jesus becomes the Chief Cornerstone, not just in His Death on the Cross, but through His resurrection as well.

What better way to establish an Eternal Kingdom, than to set the cornerstone as One who is Eternal and who’s Power, Strength and Authority will never fade or be conquered.

Likewise, our being “Living Stones” also suggests that we continue to build the Temple as we continue to grow in our faith- Going from Milk to Meat.

And this is two-fold. We grow individually while we grow corporately together, as the larger Body of Christ.

The “Spiritual Sacrifices” in v-5, refers to the evangelistic nature of the NT church.

Our whole point of existence is to Praise the Name of God to the lost, proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ- first to those closest to us, then our neighborhoods/communities and finally to the World as a whole.

Supporting Missionary works abroad and when called, going, ourselves to foreign lands to proclaim the Gospel.

This privilege of being grafted into the Family of God is so powerful to Peter, he draws directly from Exodus to drive home his point.

The NT Church is a “Royal Priesthood” and a “Holy Nation”

The NT church does not replace Israel as God’s Chosen, but rather joins with Israel as the worldwide extension of Gods Chosen people.

Nor has America replaced Israel as Gods chosen Holy Nation, but rather has been the launching point of Gods mission to spread the Gospel throughout an ever growing world population.

We should recognize that privilege and HUGE responsibility God has blessed us with.

IN CLOSING

Peter closes this section with the reminder that his listeners, Mostly Gentile converts, had themselves once lived in the darkness of the world.

Just as we have.

They did not deserve Gods grace and mercy anymore than we do.

There’s an old Southern Gospel song the title “Thanks to Calvary” (Bill Gaither)

And one verse tells of a man and his family go to visit a house they used to live in.

They walk in and his little boy runs and hides behind a door, just like so many times before.

But the Dad calls to his son and tells him, “you dont have to be afraid, for you got a brand new Daddy now. Cuz Thanks to Calvary we dont live here anymore.”

Thanks be to God for His marvelous Grace and Mercy, we dont live there anymore, either