1 Peter 2.4-10 part 2
Stones That Live Part 2 (1 Peter 2:4-10)
11/8/98
Sunday p.m.
Introduction: Review Part one of sermon
I. God is presently Engaged in a Building Project of Spiritual Proportions
A. The project begins by coming to Christ. (idea of a worship setting)
1. Christ is The Living Stone
2. Christ is rejected by men
3. Christ is choice and precious to God
B. The building is a spiritual house
1. Believers are living stones used to build the church
2. It houses a holy priesthood
3. Christians offer up spiritual sacrifices (made acceptable only by Christ)
Conclusion:
Christians offer up to God such spiritual sacrifices as
The body for service
Thanksgiving or praise
Doing good and being generous
Living a life for others
Main thought: Christians are the people of God who accomplish the purpose of God.
Tonight we are going to see:
II. Jesus is the starting point of God’s building (vs. 6-8)
III. God has a purpose for His building (vs. 9-10)
1 Peter 2:6-10
II. Jesus is the starting point of God’s building (vs. 6-8)
If you will, Peter is using the O.T. for backup to demonstrate what he has just said (namely that God is building the spiritual house of the church).
A. Isaiah 28:16
1. The times of Isaiah- Isaiah wrote during perilous times. The Northern kingdom of Israel was about to fall to the Assyrians. Spiritual decline was the norm in those days. (sound familiar?)
a. Being a prophet in the times of ancient Israel had its hazards. Noone who is the midst of sin likes to hear about how they are messing up. That is precisely what the prophet did. And he didn’t always just prophesy to the normal person on the street. He often did it before kings who had the power and authority to carry out an execution.
b. If tradition is accurate, Isaiah was placed inside of a hollow log and sawn in half.
2. Isaiah’s message-
a. The subject of ch. 28 is the Northern kingdom, of which Samaria was the capitol, and the southern kingdom (Judah) of which Jerusalem was the capital.
b. The content of the message is that the Assyrians would be coming against Israel.
c. There were those who would likely scoff at his message (vs. 22)
d. The people of Israel were often tempted and gave in to worshipping other gods. It seems they were trusting in these gods to deliver them from the Assyrians.
e. And right in the middle of it (vs. 16) Isaiah says that the only One to be trusted is the stone which God has placed in Zion. (That is, Jerusalem)
f. Jerusalem was significant because it was the location of the temple, where God met with His people. So the name Zion carried great meaning. It seems to have signified the place where the power of God resided (the only problem is that God’s power does not reside in only one location).
g. The way for true deliverance is through the stone which has been laid in Zion. Not trusting the false gods, but rather the true God
h. At the end of verse 16, we see that the one who trusts in this stone will not have to make haste (run or get away). It may be saying specifically that those who trust in the Lord would not have to flee from the Assyrians and Israel’s enemies.
3. The usage in 1 Peter
a. The verse is now being applied to the role of Jesus Christ in the church.
b. Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone.
c. The cornerstone was a significant part of the building. It did a couple of things (at least)
aa. First of all it helped hold walls together at the corner. Gave the building strength and stability.
bb. Second it gave a point of reference from which the building could rise. It provided a place to start.
Illustration:
Today there is a similar procedure among builders. After a foundation has been poured, usually the first men to show up will set the direction for the whole building. One of the first things they will do is establish the position of one or two exterior walls. That is, those walls which sit on the edge of the foundation.
When they find out exactly where one of these walls (maybe a sidewall) sits, they will mark its location with a chalkline. The next step is often to find the location of a wall (maybe an endwall) which joins the wall just chalked at a corner. Care is taken to be sure that where these two walls join is perfectly square.
Once these two walls (which make up a corner of the building) are established, many of the other measurements for other walls are taken from them. They keep the dimensions of the house what they should be. They become the standard upon which the rest of the house is taken . If they are off, it may work for a while, but at the very latest, when the builder gets to the rafters, some sort of corrections will have to be made. They are the corner. They are square and straight. Very important. The starting point which determines the direction of the rest of the building.
That is what Christ is to the church. He is the cornerstone. The point of origination. The One Who sets the standard. The One Who determines that the building is proceeding as it should be.
He is the cornerstone, around which we, as living stones are built into the magnificent building of the church.
It stands to reason, that if He is the cornerstone of the church, then He is to be the cornerstone of our lives also.
d. He is worthy of trust, and faith. (pisteuw) believeth
e. He will not disappoint- confound (put to shame, disappoint)
Roger Raymer notes that this is a double negative in the Greek and notes that the verse could say, “never indeed will they be shamed.” (BKC)
Christ will not disappoint anyone who builds his life upon the firm cornerstone.
f. For the believer, Christ is precious, for the unbeliever, He is rejected.
aa. Notice that Christ is called precious in three places in this passage (vs. 4, 6, 7)
bb. Notice He is called “disallowed” or rejected by men twice (vs. 4, 7)
cc. Peter is intricately weaving his teaching together.
B. Psalm 118:22
1. Christ uses this passage in Matt. 21:42, 43 to show that Israel had rejected her cornerstone in Christ, and because of this the kingdom would be taken away.
2. Peter used it earlier in his life when he stood before Jewish authorities who had imprisoned them for their teaching. (Acts 4:11)
3. Acts 4:10-12 Peter says, you killed Jesus, you rejected the cornerstone. You fulfilled prophecy by doing it.
Acts 4:12- You miss Jesus, you miss heaven
4. Significance in 1 Peter- (vs. 7, 8)
a. Those who have rejected Jesus are like builders who have thrown away the cornerstone
b. They keep tripping over it.
Illustration:
Imagine the scene. The ancient builders are at the site of a new building, and they have their pile of stones to be used for its construction. As they dig through the pile, they are looking for the one stone that is supposed to be the cornerstone. And then they come to it, the stone that has been designated “cornerstone.” The one to start the building with. The point of origination.
But the builders look at the stone, and then each other and say, “well this doesn’t look like much of a cornerstone,” and they throw it over their shoulders. The rock lands next to the rock pile and sits forlornly for a few days while the builders start the building with an inferior stone.
But then a funny thing happens, as the building progresses, problems develop. They are well into the work when they see that their wall is not straight. Not only that, it isn’t plumb. To top it off, it’s very weak.
But the real kicker is every time they go back to the rock pile, they keep tripping over this rock that they threw away. A constant reminder that if they had used it in the first place, they wouldn’t be having such trouble.
So it is with Jesus Christ, either people accept Him, or they stumble over Him.
He’s either the cornerstone, or the stumbling stone. Depends upon one’s response.
Those who are disobedient to the Word, according to verse eight, stumble over Christ.
Life without Jesus, is a hard matter. People trying to live without Christ.
Illustration:
“Elvis Presley owned three jet airplanes, two Cadillacs, a Rolls-Royce, a Lincoln Continental, Buick and Chrysler station wagons, a Jeep, a dune buggy, a converted bus, and three motorcycles. His favorite car was his 1960 Cadillac limousine. The top was covered with pearl white Naugahyde, and its body was sprayed with forty coats of a specially prepared paint that included crushed diamond and fish scales. Nearly all the metal trim was plated with eighteen-karat gold. There were two gold-flake telephones. There was a gold vanity case, containing a gold electric razor and gold hair clippers; an electric shoe buffer; a gold-plated television; a record player; an amplifier; household appliances; and a refrigerator that was capable of making ice in exactly two minutes. Elvis had everything.
Once when he had a cold, one of his managers found him in his music room playing the hymn ‘How Great Thou Art’ on the piano. ‘How do you feel?’ the manager asked. ‘Alone’ was Elvis Presley’s only response. Rich without, but poor within. Wealth does not satisfy; only Christ can satisfy.”
c. Notice (vs. 8) that those who have disobeyed the Word are destined to stumble over Christ (this verse does not teach double predestination)
Transition: So the point seen thus far this evening is that Jesus is the starting point of the building. Peter uses O.T. passages to show that Christ is the cornerstone of the church and should be the cornerstone of one’s life.
III. God’s building has a purpose. (vs. 9, 10)
A. God desires to make a one-of-a kind people
1. chosen generation-
2. a royal priesthood (cf. vs. 5)
3. a holy nation (this does not mean however that the church takes over all of the privileges of Israel)
4. a peculiar people - quite literally means a people belonging to God
5. a people that was once nothing (vs. 10). Before the coming of the cornerstone of the church (Jesus Christ), the church was not in existence. They were not the people of God. But with the coming of the cornerstone, the church was founded. Believers were shown mercy.
God desires to make a one-of-a-kind people. And He is doing that at this very moment
B. God has a purpose for His people
1. This is the crowning point of the passage, and oddly enough, the shortest portion.
2. Believers have purpose in life. People are killing themselves because they don’t know why they are here. Philosophers are racking their great brains to know “why are we here?” The question of the ages is answered in one fell swoop.
3. “That ye should shew forth the praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (vs. 9)
4. To by one’s life, one’s thoughts, one’s words reflect, (yes shine) the correct understanding of what God is like. How marvelous He is.
The Shorter Catechism asks “what is the chief end of man (what should be man’s whole purpose)
Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.
Conclusion:
Main thought: Christians are the people of God who accomplish the purpose of God.
I. God is presently engaged in a building project of spiritual proportions. (vs. 4,5) {Part One- the contents of this sermon}
II. Jesus is the starting point of God’s building. (vs. 6-8)
III. God has a purpose for His building. (vs. 9-10)
Tremendous satisfaction awaits those who understand who they are, and understand what they are to do.