Embrace The Discomfort (Shorter)

Text: 1 Peter 2:4-12

INTRODUCTION

Proposition: Do you see discomfort as a sign that something is wrong?

Illustration: Growing up, my dad would take me camping. Now, when you think of camping, I'm sure you envision a nice, manicured site where you can pull up your vehicle, set up your tent and lawn chairs, and get a fire going, and all the people at the site are smiling as they pull ice cold drinks out of the cooler while someone grills burgers. This is not the type of camping we did. There was no manicured site, no vehicles, no lawn chairs, no coolers, no ice cold drinks, no grills, and definitely no smiles! We did wilderness camping. This is the type of camping where you carry all your gear on your own back to your destination. It was hard. Every step makes you aware of how uncomfortable you are. Your lower back starts hurting, so you adjust, then your shoulder hurts cause the strap is pressing into your skin, then your feet start to develop blisters, then you discover a new mosquito bite, but at least it wasn’t another tick. You scratch the mosquito bite and that makes you aware that you’re now sunburned. When it’s time for camp and you finally get to lay down, the ground is still the ground and its very uncomfortable. You’re in a sleeping bag that makes your feet sweltering hot but you're getting a soar throat from the cold air outside. Literally, everything makes you uncomfortable. So why did we do it? Because every step led to the top of a mountain peak that was 12,000 feet in the air that wasn’t accessible by any other way than by foot. Viewing a mountain range from a mountain top is a celestial experience. I don’t appreciate discomfort; however, it just might be the only pathway to something beautiful.

We all arrange our life to arrive somewhere. For many, that somewhere is comfort. When the goal is comfort, then discomfort feels like a signal that we are on the wrong path. So, we don’t continue.

But… Scripture provides a better way - a better goal. Believers are instructed to visualize Jesus as the goal of life. Those who adopt this view will find themselves saying, “Thank God I’m uncomfortable because He’s using the discomfort to shape my image into His image.” We must embrace the discomfort especially when it comes to the growth that God can give us through the Church.

Adam McHugh said, “We must put away our convenient notions of God. The One Who always agrees with us. The One who always favor our nation or political agenda. The One Who always feeds us candy and never vegetables.”

One of the vegetables that God provides is the church. It, by design, is uncomfortable so you may grow into a new human being of love. We must erase this idea of finding the perfect church because it would be a perfect disaster for our spiritual formation.

What is your view of the church? Are you always disappointed in it because it doesn’t meet your standard? Be careful! You’re talking about the Bride of Christ!

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than they love the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest and sacrificial.”

We are going to receive the invitation from the Foundation of the Church to embrace it and the discomfort and thereby grow.

Declaration: We must embrace the discomfort of the church because the future glory of God in the New Creation is manifested now through it.

Transition: Let’s begin our study!

NUMBER 1: We must embrace the controversial Savior

1 Peter 2:4–9

“To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

Explanation: Peter gives us an interesting analogy. Here’s the idea - we are living stones that God places on the foundation of Jesus Christ because He is building us into a house for His presence - both now and for eternity!

Your participation in working with God to usher in His Kingdom is based on one question. What will you do with Jesus? How you respond to Jesus determines your role in the present world and the next.

Now, let’s put a book mark here and address foreknowledge, election, & predestination. I believe it needs to be addressed because it’s a point of debate and contention in the family of God.

In the 1500’s, the Reformation occurred. Many men began reading the Scripture and separated from the Catholic Church due to its unscriptural teachings. Their cry is that salvation is by grace through faith alone. Praise God! I’m thankful for the reformation, but I’m praying that the modern church can have another reformation after the reformation. Out of the reformation was born 2 systems of theology called Arminianism and Calvinism. And for the last 500 years, the church has argued basically this - is man predetermined to salvation or does he choose salvation? There never seems to be an adequate answer to this question. We don’t have time to dissect Calvinism and Arminianism and point out the flaws of both systems and then do a follow up series on refuting the refutations. Here’s something I’ll encourage you to do, and I’ll tell you why I think it’s a good idea.

If you want to do a great deep dive on this topic, I'd recommend starting by googling Tim Mackie from the Bible project and watch his lecture in Ephesians on the topic of predestination. It’s incredible. And here’s why it’s incredible. He points out that we’re having an unnecessary debate about this topic because we’re off on the main story of the Bible and we’re not letting the Biblical authors define what they mean. In other words, we’re trying to make the Bible address the issues that we’re most interested in rather than letting the Bible address what it wants.

So with that being said, are y’all ready to get back into the Bible?

Peter says that Jesus is a living stone. This is important. He is living because He’s been resurrected - that determines that all who fall in place on the Cornerstone will also be alive, which refers to a new type of humanity.

Jesus was rejected by man, but in God’s eyes, He is chosen and precious. Isaiah 28:16 is quoted and prophecies that Jesus is chief, elect, and precious, saying that those who believe on Him will not be put to shame because Jesus is the chosen, elected One. He then continues quoting Psalm 118:22 addressing those who are disobedient (also unbelieving), saying you may have rejected Jesus, but God has made Him the very foundation.

There’s an interesting word play in verse 8. He quotes Isaiah 8:14. The stone refers to a small stone that causes one to stumble, and the rock is like a massive boulder that offends.

He then finishes up verse eight saying that those who are offended by Jesus stumble, being disobedient, as they were appointed. This verse speaks of an appointed destiny but what the grammar helps us see is that the stumbling and ultimately their appointed destiny has a cause. The cause is that they were disobedient to the word or another way to say it is unbelieving.

What is Peter saying? What you do with Jesus determines who you are now and your destiny in the New Creation.

Application: The points of application are many.

Do you expect to be rejected by those who reject Jesus? When you embrace Jesus, the world will no longer embrace you. Have you subtly reshaped your faith to avoid offending the world, rather than embracing the “stone of stumbling” in all its offense? Furthermore, our embrace of Jesus requires us to love our enemies. After Jesus was rejected, what was His cry on the cross? Father forgive them. This too is our calling. Have you been hurt? pray for their forgiveness. Have you been rejected? Pray for reconciliation in Jesus.

Because you believe, you will not be confounded/put to shame. Though you are rejected by the world, you are accepted by God through Jesus. Therefore, you will not be disappointed in your decision to trust and obey Jesus in the New Creation. Right now, the world is spending their money for self and enjoying it. We cannot because Jesus is Lord. The world is having sex with whoever, however, & whenever they desire. We do not because of faith in Jesus. The world says cut off your enemies and abandon those who do not help you. We do not because of faith in Jesus. Are you ashamed of the controversial Savior? Do you long to live as the world? Church, we will not be put to shame. God is building us into His dwelling place for Himself.

This brings us to our 2nd point. When we embrace Jesus, then...

NUMBER 2: We must embrace our sacrificial calling

Let’s go through the Bible narrative to see the point Peter is making when he says we’re being built into a temple for God’s presence. God’s story is long, and you are at a very interesting point in His story! God living with humans has always been God’s plan. This is the story of the Bible! You are at the point in the story where the church provides a growing picture of the New Creation that is coming soon.

Genesis – The Garden of Eden

Genesis 3:8 “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”

Genesis 3:23–24 “Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”

In God’s story, it started with Him living with humans to rule over creation. We lose that presence through disobedience but throughout the story, God provides ways through which His presence can dwell with man again. Each of these new ways, points back to the garden and simultaneously points forward to the New Creation.

Exodus – God’s Presence in the Tabernacle

Exodus 29:45–46 “And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God.”

The Tabernacle was constructed in such a way to evoke images of the Garden.

Entrance from the east – Adam and Eve were expelled eastward, and cherubim guarded the way (Genesis 3:24). The Tabernacle entrance also faced east.

Cherubim imagery – The curtain before the Most Holy Place was embroidered with cherubim (Exodus 26:31), echoing the cherubim guarding Eden.

Tree-like designs – The lampstand (menorah) in the Holy Place was designed to look like a blossoming almond tree (Exodus 25:31–36), reminiscent of the Tree of Life.

Gold and precious stones – The Garden is described with gold and onyx (Genesis 2:12), and the priestly garments and Tabernacle furnishings were decorated with gold and precious stones (Exodus 28:9–20).

1 Kings – God’s Presence in the Temple

1 Kings 8:27–29 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.”

Cherubim → Guardian imagery

1 Kings 6:29 – Around all the walls of the house he carved engraved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms.

Palm trees, flowers, tree designs → Lush garden imagery

1 Kings 6:32 – He covered the two doors of olivewood with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.1 Kings 6:35 – He carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers on them, and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the carved work.

Gold & precious stones → Precious materials

1 Kings 6:20–22 – The inner sanctuary… he overlaid it with pure gold. … He overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished.

Water imagery → Life-giving abundance

1 Kings 7:23–25 – Then he made the sea of cast metal. … Under its brim were gourds… It stood on twelve oxen…

Eastward entrance → Temple orientation

Ezekiel 8:16 – …at the entrance of the temple of the LORD… with their backs to the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east…

All of these details points back to the garden and points forward to the New Creation. God ruling and reigning and living with humans has always been the plan and it always will be! That’s why when Jesus showed up, John wrote this about Him.

John – God’s Presence in Christ

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

(“Dwelt” here literally means “tabernacled.”)

Jesus is the point. He is the Chief Cornerstone that the builders rejected but is Chosen and Precious to the Father. As God Himself, Jesus brought God’s presence down to Earth. As the True Human Being, He is building man up into a temple for God’s Presence. He’s the Foundation of uniting God and man together until it all culminates again as prophesied in Revelation.

Revelation – The Ultimate Tabernacle

Revelation 21:1–3 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”

We are the memorial of the Garden. We are the billboard for the New Creation. The church is to have glimpses and manifestations of the future, right now.

Paul says it this way in Ephesians.

Ephesians 1:20-21

20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

The idea is that Jesus is the exalted Ruler of the New Creation, and He’s reigning currently in both ages - at the same time!

He says it even more clearly in 1 Corinthians 10. He’s recounting the Exodus story and ends with this curious phrase.

1 Corinthians 10:11

11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

He’s saying the end of the old age is being overlapped by the New Creation. Jesus is risen, exalted, and reigning over both ages. The future New Creation is happening in and through the church right now!

Application: So, what does that mean we are to do? We are to spend our days reigning with Jesus and bringing in the New Creation.

What does this mean practically? Verses 5 & 9 reveal who we are and what we do.

First, verse 5 says we are a holy priesthood. In the Old Testament, Priests were responsible to be the representatives from God to man, and man to God. They led worship, taught God’s Word, offered sacrifices, and prayed for humans. This is what we are. This is who you are. You represent God to man.

Jesus instructed us in the model prayer (Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4) to ask that God would invade earth with Heaven.

Does this not add infinite worth to everything you do? Does this not add infinite worth to everyone you interact with every day?

Second, verse 5 & 9 tell us what we are to do. We are to offer spiritual sacrifices & sing His praises.

The Bible mentions many specific sacrifices we can make to God.

Presenting Our Bodies as a Living Sacrifice Romans 12:1

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

There have been many times in your life that you dedicated yourself to serve God. With such sacrifices, God is well pleased.

Sacrifice of Praise Hebrews 13:15

Hebrews 13:15 “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

I’m sure you have sang His song through the valley and on the mountain. With such worship, God is well pleased.

Sacrifices of Doing Good and Sharing Hebrews 13:16

Hebrews 13:16 “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

God sees the gift you gave. He sees what you did for your ungrateful kids. He heard the kind words.

Prayers as Incense Before God Revelation 8:3

Revelation 8:3 “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.”

These are specific sacrifices we can make, but to add to this list, Beckwith said the following about spiritual sacrifices.

“… they never have a prescribed ritual. It appears, in fact, that every act of the Spirit-filled man can be reckoned as a spiritual sacrifice, and the sense in which it is a sacrifice is that it is devoted to God and is acceptable to God.” Beckwith, R. T. (1996). In the. In New Bible dictionary (3rd ed., p. 1043). InterVarsity Press.

The only 2 qualifications of a spiritual sacrifice are that it is offered in spirit and truth to God and that it cost you something. Are you worshipping as a priest? Are you connecting the creation back to the Creator so that it may be made new?

Questions:

Take a moment to evaluate your heart and practices. Ask yourself,

Does my relationship with God cost me something?

Do I serve, worship, and pray at church or am I a spectator?

Do I see everyday moments—at home, at work, in the community—as opportunities to represent God to others?

Am I intentionally using my words to offer the “sacrifice of praise” even in difficulty?

Do my prayers reflect God’s heart for all people, or only my own concerns?

If the church is a billboard for the New Creation, does my life add clarity to that picture or does it obscure that picture?

Number 3: We must embrace the scrutiny

1 Peter 2:9–12

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

We are to conduct ourselves as priests, who reject worldly desires, so that the lost see this beautiful way of life. Though they may speak evil against us, the works that they observe will lead to glorifying God in the day of visitation. There are 2 beautiful truths we must conclude on.

The first is that God will be glorified, not for His works, but for our works - this means that being a priest is not working for God. It’s working with God. Whatever you do, whatever you sacrifice to bring God glory is actually you working with God to bring the Creation back to Him through Jesus. How could we ever give in to the nihilism of this day? Everyone we know and everything we do matters - intensely!

The second truth is this idea of the day of visitation. This has 2 meanings in Scripture.

How it’s used in Scripture

Positive / salvation sense:

Luke 19:44 — Jesus laments over Jerusalem because they “did not know the time of your visitation” (God coming in mercy through Christ). This matches an idea of God “coming near” to bless and save.

Negative / judgment sense:

Isaiah 10:3 LXX — “What will you do in the day of visitation, and in the calamity that will come from afar?” Here it refers to a day when God visits to judge.

The context of the passage determines the meaning, and I believe the context in 1 Peter 2:12 is a positive, evangelistic, and merciful day.

We see in the book of Acts and throughout church history that there are special days that God’s presence and glory are manifested through His church. He is glorified, the church is thrilled at His presence, and the lost find salvation.

Conclusion

Church, we are the building of God built on the Chosen and Precious Cornerstone Jesus Christ. Through His blood, we are redeemed to be a new kind of human in the image of Jesus Christ. May we serve Him, sacrifice for Him, and worship. May we faithfully work with God that He may be glorified by His church and the world in the day of visitation!