Our Foundation, Identity & Purpose

a) We’re continuing in our series through 1 Pet. called A Distinct People. Peter began this letter w/ the great gospel indicatives (what God has done to make us spiritually alive & save us). But then, Peter shifted to the gospel imperatives (how we should respond or live b/c of what God has done).

b) Peter said if we have been born again, we’ll set our hope fully on the grace that will be ours when Christ returns. We’ll be holy as God is holy. If we have tasted that the Lord is good, we’ll grow up into salvation, putting off unloving & selfish ways like malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy & slander.

c) Instead, we will love 1 another & long for the pure spiritual milk of God’s word. And as we grow in obedience to the gospel & God’s word, we will be made more holy & we will love 1 another more & more. Today in 1 Pet. 2:4-10, Peter’s continuing that thought of how we should live.

d) But now he wants to make sure we understand our foundation, identity & purpose in Christ. In our culture, there’s a lot of discussion about identity & how we see ourselves. And it is an important question. But it can’t be answered apart from God & His word.

e) Peter’s going to show us that as Christ followers, our foundation, identity & purpose are rooted in Christ. It’s rooted in what God has done, the relationship He’s made w/ us, & the destiny appointed for us. So w/ that background, let’s now hear God’s holy word in 1 Pet. 2:4-10. Read & Pray.

If you have your outline, you’ll see the 1st point in today’s passage is Our Foundation.

a) As always, Peter begins w/ the Lord. v4 says: “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen & precious.” Now when Peter says as you come to Him, he’s not just saying when we 1st believe. He’s writing to Christians & encouraging them & us how to live.

b) Peter’s talking about a day by day, moment by moment drawing near to Jesus. It’s coming to Him in His Word as we saw last week. We are joined to Him, & here Peter calls Him a living stone. In fact, in these 7 verses, the word stone or rock is used 8x in reference to Jesus.

c) And these verses are full of OT temple language. Throughout the OT, the center of Israel’s spiritual life was the temple. It was where God’s presence dwelt among His people. It was where God made atonement for the sins of His people. But that temple was constructed w/ dead stones.

d) That temple offered limited access to God’s presence. Only the priests could enter the most holy place. That temple served as a reminder to God’s people that their sin separated them from God & limited their access to His presence. And that temple, like all ANE structures, had a cornerstone.

e) It had a principal stone placed at the base or corner of the building. It was the largest, heaviest, & most carefully positioned stone of the entire structure. It established the foundation & determined the course & design of the whole building. W/o the cornerstone, the building would be unstable.

f) W/o the cornerstone, the building would eventually collapse. And Peter says Jesus is not only a living stone who rose from the dead, but He is the chosen & precious stone, the cornerstone, God promised to lay in Zion. In v6-8 Peter quotes 3 OT passages to show this.

g) The 1st OT quote in v6 is from Isa. 28:16 where God said He would lay a new cornerstone in Zion. Isaiah declared this prophecy to Israel & Judah’s leaders who put their trust in Egypt to save them, rather than God. In response to this rejection, God said He would lay a foundation in Zion.

h) And only those who trust in this foundation would never be put to shame. And we know this promise finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus: the rock of our salvation. He alone can guarantee our eternal security. As Acts 4:12 says: “there is salvation in no 1 else.”

i) Jesus is not only the cornerstone, but He is the true Temple. John 1 says He tabernacled among us. In John 2 Jesus cleansed the temple & then said: “Destroy this temple (speaking of His body) & in 3 days I will raise it up.” He is the true presence of God w/ us. He is the priest, sacrifice & temple.

j) To meet God, to talk w/ God, to worship God, to receive forgiveness of sins from God, you no longer go to a physical temple. You come to Jesus! He is not just the cornerstone, but the true Temple. And as Isaiah prophesied, whoever believes in Him “will not be put to shame.”

k) Now remember, Peter’s original readers were exiled. They were scattered & most likely being persecuted. But Peter reminds them & us, we have come to the living stone. Although we might be shamed now by this world, we won’t be shamed or forsaken by God on the day of Judgement.

l) Then Peter quotes a 2nd OT passage in v7, this time Ps. 118:22. Here Peter reminds them & us that Jesus, the Cornerstone, divides humanity into 2 groups of people: those who believe & those who do not believe in Him. Jesus applied this same passage to Himself in the Parable of the Tenants.

m) In Matt. 21 Jesus said the Master planted a vineyard & sent His servants to get the fruit from the tenants. But when the servants came the tenants beat them. So, the Master sent His Son. But when the tenants saw the Son they said, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill Him & have His inheritance.”

n) Then in Matt. 21:42 Jesus quoted Ps. 118:22. Here in v7, Peter quotes it as well: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Peter’s reiterating what he heard the Lord say: Jesus is God’s chosen & precious stone who we must believe in & build our lives upon.

o) W/o Jesus as our cornerstone, there is no foundation upon which can stand before a holy God. He alone takes away our sin. He alone gives us His perfect righteousness.

p) Then, Peter quotes a 3rd OT passage in v8. Now he quotes Isa. 8:14, where God declared He would become “a sanctuary & a stone of offense & a rock of stumbling.” God’s chosen & precious stone is either one’s sanctuary & defense, or a stone of offense & rock who causes them to stumble.

q) Think of it this way. Jesus is like a large stone in every person’s way. But He isn’t the kind of stone you can walk around, jump over, or simply ignore. You either see Him as useless & offensive & reject Him, or you see Him as chosen & precious & you come to Him & build your life upon Him.

r) If we find Him precious & respond to Him in faith, He’s the cornerstone & foundation of our life. He’s the rock on which we stand in this age & the age to come. In Him we have the privilege of sharing in His honor. The glory belongs to Him alone, but God honors all who are found in Him.

s) But if we reject Him, He’s the stone over which we stumble. Peter says in v8 those who reject Him: “stumble b/c they disobey the word (or gospel) as they were destined to do.” Some take this verse to mean God predestined not who will believe or disbelieve, but the result of disobedience.

t) But others believe Peter is again declaring God’s sovereignty over salvation. Notice, there’s not a denial of human responsibility. He clearly says people are guilty if they fail to come & believe in Jesus. But he also declares some will disobey Him & reject Him as they were destined to do.

u) And those who reject the gospel & God’s Cornerstone will stumble & be put to shame & perish. We must build our lives on the Rock so we will not fall as Jesus declared in Matt. 7:24-27.

But 2nd, w/ the foundation laid, Peter now reminds them & us of our identity in Him.

a) Peter says in v5, “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house.” Apart from Jesus the Living Stone, we were spiritually dead. But as those who come to Him, we too have been made alive. We are living stones being built together into a spiritual house.

b) Although the church is not a physical building, Scripture often uses building metaphors to describe the church. Now in our culture, it’s popular to say I’m good w/ Jesus, but not the church. Many people say they can be a Christian w/o the church. But don’t miss what Peter’s saying here.

c) Peter compares those of us who come to Jesus as living stones being fitted together to build a house. What is the stone used for? To build a house. Spurgeon says to claim you are 1 of Jesus’ living stones, but then refuse to be part of what He is building makes you a good-for-nothing stone.

d) To come to Christ is to be part of His spiritual house. Think of it this way. If you built a house, you would need lots of bricks or stones. And when you finished building that house, there may be some bricks or stones left over. But those leftover bricks & stones aren’t part of your house.

e) If we have come to Him, if we have been born again, then we are living stones Jesus is using to build His church. We, the church, the body of Christ, are built up on Jesus. We are now part of the temple in which God is pleased to dwell. There is no longer a temple of dead stones.

f) We are the living temple or spiritual house God is building. 2 Cor. 6:16 says: “we are the temple of the living God”. Eph. 2:21 says He is the cornerstone, “in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

g) God’s residence is no longer in a literal temple in Jerusalem nor simply heaven, but the Church. In all those united to Him by faith. We are the living stones of this temple. We are individually called, but when we come to Jesus, we not only belong to Him, but to His body, His house, the church.

h) We belong to 1 another. We are part of 1 another. We can’t live the Christian life on our own. We need to be part of a local church. And that doesn’t mean just showing up every now & again, or when & where we want, but it means being fully involved & committed to God’s people. We don’t go to church, we are the church. We are the temple of the living God w/ Jesus as the cornerstone.

i) Then in v9-10 Peter continues to show us our identity. He says, “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.” Now this is stunning language b/c all these terms were used in the OT to describe Israel. But now Peter applies these terms to the church.

j) Peter was writing to a mostly Gentile audience. As he says in v10: “Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” How did they become God’s people & receive God’s mercy? By coming to Jesus.

k) By building their lives & faith on God’s chosen & precious cornerstone. See friends, there is 1 people of God. True Israel always was, is, & will be those who come to & trust & believe in Jesus. And for those who do come to Him, Peter says of us “you are a chosen race (or people).”

l) In Christ, God’s chosen people is a radically diverse group. As Paul says in Gal. 3:28-29: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male & female for you are all 1 in Christ Jesus. If you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

m) Peter says our identity is not rooted in our race or culture, but in our shared chosen-ness. We are a chosen people. The same Greek word Peter used to start this letter is now repeated. Peter said he was writing to elect exiles. Now he uses that same Greek word here ἐκλεκτός. God chose us.

n) Then Peter says in v9 we are “a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” In v5 Peter called us “a holy priesthood.” Not only are we living stones being built into a spiritual house, we are priests. We are not merely a passive structure being built, but we are active participants in worshipping Him.

o) Although God established a special line of priests through Aaron, the entire nation of Israel were priests. God told Moses in Ex. 19:6 to speak to Israel & say, “you shall be to me a kingdom of priests & a holy nation.” All of Israel was called to live for God. To serve & worship Him.

p) As we come to Jesus, as those ransomed & redeemed from slavery not to Egypt, but to sin & Satan & death, we too are now priests. We have the privilege as priests to draw near to God. And as we’ll see in a moment, we are called to offer spiritual sacrifices.

q) See friends, in Christ, we are not 1st & foremost Americans. We belong 1st & foremost to a holy nation. We are citizens of God’s Kingdom. We’re set apart to & for God. As Peter says next in v9, we are “a people for His own possession,” which again points back to the OT.

r) In Ex. 19:5 God told Moses to say to Israel: “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice & keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine.” Now we know Israel didn’t obey His voice or keep His law & covenant.

s) We know ultimately this promise pointed forward to Jesus, true Israel, who perfectly obeyed His Father in heaven & the law. And when we come to Him & believe in Him, His perfect obedience is our obedience. It’s in Him we are adopted as sons & daughters & become part of His people.

t) Notice the language of intimacy & belonging. Together we are the people of God. Not b/c of anything we’ve done, but b/c of what Jesus, the Cornerstone, has done. He is not only our foundation, but our identity is found in Him. We are His treasured possession.

3rd & finally, what is our purpose when we come to Jesus & find our identity in Him.

a) Peter shows us 2 things. The 1st purpose is at the end of v5. We are “to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Our collective identity is a spiritual house & holy priesthood. And our purpose is to offer spiritual sacrifices to God through the Lord Jesus.

b) We don’t offer animal sacrifices, but spiritual sacrifices. What does that mean? It means how we live in this world matters. Paul says it this way in Rom. 12:1. We are “to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy & acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

c) Our whole lives are to be offered up to God. Everything we do is to be done as an act of worship to God. Whether you eat, drink, hammer nails, drive a car, make a meal, program a computer, read a book, or shoot a basketball, whatever you do is to be done for God’s glory as 1 Cor. 10:31 says.

d) Heb. 13:15 adds: “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” The writer of Hebrews is saying we are to offer verbal praise to God. We sing & speak of Him & His name & His glory. We offer Him thanks & praise.

e) We offer spiritual sacrifices by loving, giving, sharing & serving 1 another. In Phil. 4:18 Paul received a gift of support from the church at Philippi. He said: “I received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.”

f) Heb. 13:16 says, “Do not neglect doing good & sharing, for w/ such sacrifices God is pleased.” We are called to offer spiritual sacrifices. That is our purpose as living stones & a spiritual house & holy priesthood. But there is a 2nd purpose Peter gives us at the end of v9.

g) We are to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” We are those who’ve been brought from death to life. From darkness to light. That’s our corporate, shared identity. And corporate, shared purpose is to proclaim that truth to the world.

h) Not just w/ our lips, but w/ our lives. The Christians Peter wrote to looked weak & fragile to the world, but they were God’s chosen instruments. They were Christ’s Spirit-empowered witnesses to proclaim God’s glory. We too are God’s chosen instruments for that same purpose.

i) When we meet together as God’s people, we may not look impressive. But we have a message that can raise people from the dead. We have a message that can bring people true joy, hope & life. We have a message that can save sinners & purify souls & keep people from stumbling & shame.

j) We have a message that can bring people into God’s marvelous light. We are God’s chosen people w/ a God-glorifying purpose. We are living stones being built together into a spiritual house. We are a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices to God.

k) We are His treasured possession called to proclaim His glory & salvation to the world. We are to make the glories of our King known. God made us who we are so we could make known who He is & reveal by our deeds who He is.

l) But to do this, we must continually come to Jesus, the Living Stone. God’s chosen & precious stone. The cornerstone. He is our firm foundation. We belong to Him & to each other.