Spiritual Gifts: FOR THE BUILDING OF THE HOUSE OF GOD

FOR THE BUILDING OF THE HOUSE OF GOD

New Living Translation Chapter 2

4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.

5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say,

“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,

chosen for great honor,

and anyone who trusts in him

will never be disgraced.”

7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,

“The stone that the builders rejected

has now become the cornerstone.”

8 And,

“He is the stone that makes people stumble,

the rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

10 “Once you had no identity as a people;

now you are God’s people.

Once you received no mercy;

now you have received God’s mercy.”

The Priorities Of God’s People ()

God’s people must keep God central, be built together as His people, and proclaim His excellencies to others.

New Living Translation Chapter 2

5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say,

“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,

chosen for great honor,

and anyone who trusts in him

will never be disgraced.”

Our relationship to God must be at the center of all we do, both individually and corporately.

If God is not central, we are off track. If our devotion for Him is lacking, we’re just playing church.

You will recall how the Lord rebuked the church at Ephesus (). They worked hard for the Lord.

And yet the Lord said, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Love for Christ must be central! Peter mentions two ways to do this:

A. WE KEEP GOD CENTRAL BY CONTINUALLY COMING TO CHRIST AND BUILDING UPON HIM.

New Living Translation Chapter 2

4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.

The present tense participle means coming to Christ repeatedly. It does not refer to our conversion, but to our daily communion with Him. We must come to Christ repeatedly and build our lives on Him.

He is the author and giver of life, able to impart spiritual life to all who believe in Him. That He is living means that Christianity is not a religion of going through dead rituals.

Verse 6 (a quote from ) shows that we build on Christ by believing in Him. To believe in Christ, I must let go of my own works as the means of my salvation.

New Living Translation Chapter 2

6 As the Scriptures say,

“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,

chosen for great honor,

and anyone who trusts in him

will never be disgraced.”

I must not trust in myself or what I do as the way to approach God. Rather, I rest completely on who Christ is and on what He did for me when He died on the cross in my place.

As Peter puts it (), God “has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness.” Christ is our sufficiency. As we commune continually with Him by faith, we learn that our primary need in life is to “know Him” ().

. If we as a church do not keep God central by continually coming to Christ in all we do, then our priorities are wrong.

B. WE KEEP GOD CENTRAL BY OFFERING SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES TO HIM THROUGH CHRIST.

New Living Translation Chapter 2

5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God

But now, Christ our High Priest has offered Himself once for all as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. As believer priests, we all have direct access into God’s presence through Christ, our mediator ().

What are these sacrifices? tells us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God.

This means that everything we do can be done to God’s glory ().

New Living Translation Chapter 10

31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

In , Paul says that he was “ministering as a priest the gospel of God, that [his] offering of the Gentiles might become acceptable.”

New Living Translation Chapter 15

16 I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.

“Lord, does this please You?” Your motive is not human recognition, but gratitude to the Lord.

2. We must be built together as His people.

What is true in marriage is also true in the local church. As the members grow closer to God, they grow closer to one another.

Christianity is not an individualistic thing, where we each have a relationship with God, but not with each other. We are being built together into a spiritual house or temple in the Lord.

With the high divorce rate, some children rarely see their own fathers or mothers. Since God made us to be connected with other people, there’s a high felt need for community.

A. WE ARE BUILT TOGETHER TO THE EXTENT THAT EVERY BELIEVER EXERCISES HIS PRIESTHOOD UNDER THE HEADSHIP OF CHRIST.

The church isn’t a building; the church is God’s people.

The church may meet in a church building or in homes or outdoors.

which each member is a living stone, being fitted and built together upon and by the living corner stone, Jesus Christ.

We don’t go to church; we are the church! We must minister one to another in the church.

Thus, we must keep God central and be built together as His

But ministry is the overflow of a life that is full of Jesus Christ. If He is central in your life (Priority One), then you will be ministering to people when you have contact with them. Ministry takes place through relationships.

B. WE ARE BUILT TOGETHER TO THE EXTENT THAT WE LIVE IN LINE WITH OUR IDENTITY AS A DISTINCT PEOPLE.

All these terms come from the Old Testament: A chosen race (); a royal priesthood (); a holy nation (); a people for God’s possession ().

Peter wrote this because his readers were scattered fledgling churches under persecution.

Thus, we must keep God central and be built together as His people. Finally,

3. We must proclaim the excellencies of God to others.

God has called us out of the world as His people so that we can go back into the world and proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (2:9).

New Living Translation Chapter 2

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Remember that the biblical Christ is going to offend many people, for at least two reasons: First, the cross of Christ is offensive (). The cross humbles human pride.

Second, Christ’s lordship offends people. Everyone likes the idea of an Aladdin’s genie-Jesus, who will fulfill their desires.

But a Christ who is Lord, who confronts sin and demands obedience--that’s another story! If you proclaim Christ crucified and Christ as Lord, some will believe and be saved. But others will reject Him and you. Be prepared!

New Living Translation Chapter 2

7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,

“The stone that the builders rejected

has now become the cornerstone.”

New Living Translation Chapter 2

8 And,

“He is the stone that makes people stumble,

the rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.

What does Peter mean when he says that unbelievers “stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this they were also appointed” (2:8)

I would ask each of you to examine your priorities. First and foremost, have you truly believed in Christ as Savior and Lord? Is He and His death on the cross precious to you? If so, is He central in your life?

Second, are you seeking to be built together with His people or do you just attend church? You may need to commit yourself to this local church.

Third, are you seeking to proclaim His excellencies to those in darkness, that they, too, may come to know the Savior?

Discussion Questions

1.What has helped you most to make God central in your daily life?

2.How can a Christian know where he/she is supposed to serve in the church?

3.Why are we more comfortable with “formal” rather than “relational” ministries? How can we change this?

4.Is it wrong to “sell” Jesus to lost people? How confrontational must we be to remain true to the gospel?